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I am Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science and Public Administration at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. I am also the editor of the academic journal The Latin Americanist.

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

At least the General Accounting Office appears to be sane, since no one else is. It is well documented, and I mean beyond a shadow of a doubt, or even a shadow of that shadow, that high-tech border solutions fail to achieve even a tiny fraction of their goals. They are very expensive, shiny, and PR-happy, yet worthless. I've been writing about this for years--here is one post from earlier this year that links to older posts.

So we know they fail, but U.S. Customs and Border Protection wants to push on anyway in Arizona, perhaps hoping to fail as spectacularly as in Texas. Fortunately, the GAO has just made clear in a report that it does not have enough evidence that it will work. Instead, we get an image of a government agency just trying to do something, without caring at all whether the money spent is a waste. It is indeed pretty scathing.

Specifically, GAO's review of the estimate concluded that the estimate reflected substantial features of best practices, being both comprehensive and accurate, but it did not sufficiently meet other characteristics of a high-quality cost estimate, such as credibility, because it did not identify a level of confidence or quantify the impact of risks. GAO and OMB guidance emphasize that reliable cost estimates are important for program approval and continued receipt of annual funding. In addition, because CBP was unable to determine a level of confidence in its estimate, it will be difficult for CBP to determine what levels of contingency funding may be needed to cover risks associated with implementing new technologies along the remaining Arizona border.

Emphasis mine. Is this really the best we can do? My head is dented from banging it against the wall.

A powerful Republican state Senate leader who championed Arizona's controversial crackdown on illegal immigrants lost his office on Tuesday in a historic recall election, returns showed. Russell Pearce's defeat is a message to the GOP, say some analysts, that jobs and the economy should be a higher priority than illegal immigrants.............

Russell Pearce branded his political opponents as "far left liberals" and labor union activists, and chastised the recall election coming when he has just one year left in his current term.

Lewis, 55, has maintained that residents could not afford to wait until the next election to replace a man who he said has tarnished Arizona's image.

The stage for the recall race was set in July when Brewer, a strong supporter of Pearce, approved the mid-term election challenge after a citizen's group turned in enough signatures to put it on the ballot.

Lewis said the Southwestern state badly needs someone who can tackle immigration and other issues with an approach free of "fear-mongering and political rhetoric," and said Arizona should work with the federal government on a comprehensive immigration solution, not battle the government in court.........

VIDEO : Arizona, Interview with Jerry Lewis after he won the seat in a recall election against Russell Pearce. Russell Pearce supported by Governor Jan Brewer was the Architect Author and Icon of the "Papers Please" Law SB 1070